14: Chapter 14 Heart rate of 40, hands in pockets, standing ball

Morning light pierced through the curtains and shone on Lin Qi's face.

He opened his eyes but did not get up immediately.

His body felt heavy, as if his bones had been dismantled and reassembled, and every joint was protesting.

The quilt was sticky and emitted a sour, foul odor.

Lin Qi lifted the sheet and looked down.

His skin was covered in a layer of grayish-black sludge, which were the deep toxins expelled by last night's medicinal bath.

"The detoxification effect is better than expected."

He rolled out of bed, his feet hitting the floor with a dull thud.

The density of this body had increased.

He rushed into the bathroom and turned on the cold water valve.

The icy water washed over his body, and the black sludge slid off with the flow, revealing the brand-new skin beneath.

It was no longer that sickly pale color, but a restrained bronze.

Lin Qi reached out and pressed on his thigh muscles.

They felt tough, and when he pressed down with his fingers, he could feel a distinct rebound force, just like pressing on a thick rubber tire.

With skin like this, it would be difficult for ordinary blunt weapons to cause any harm.

While washing up, he picked up his toothbrush and squeezed on some toothpaste.

He just put it in his mouth.

"Snap."

A crisp sound rang out.

The plastic toothbrush handle snapped right in the middle, and half of the toothbrush head fell into the sink.

Lin Qi looked at the broken handle in his hand and frowned.

His strength had grown too quickly, and his nervous System had not yet fully adapted to the new muscle density.

This was the price of taking a shortcut.

"Looks like I'll have to hold back my strength today."

He threw the broken handle into the trash can and simply rubbed his teeth with his finger dipped in toothpaste.

When changing clothes, Lin Qi deliberately chose a loose, long-sleeved sports jacket, zipping it all the way to the top to cover the bronze-glowing skin on his neck.

Before he could even leave, his stomach began to growl.

The hunger was even more intense than last time; his stomach walls were rubbing against each other, and every cell was roaring for fuel.

Lin Qi grabbed his schoolbag and walked quickly towards the cafeteria.

It was breakfast time, and the cafeteria was bustling with noise.

Lin Qi carried his tray and swept through the serving area.

Steamed buns, fried dough sticks, beef noodles, fried eggs, ham...

The food on his tray was piled up like a small mountain, precarious and teetering.

The cafeteria lady's hands were shaking, and the way she looked at Lin Qi was as if she were looking at some kind of starving refugee just released from prison.

Lin Qi found a corner to sit down and began to eat.

He didn't chew slowly; he just swallowed.

Following the unique rhythm of the "Swallowing Heaven Breathing Method," his throat was like a bottomless pit, and the food was powerfully ground by his stomach as soon as it entered.

"Yo, isn't this our 'Great Master'?"

A shrill voice sounded from the side.

Wang Gang was holding a cup of soy milk, followed by a few lackeys, looking at Lin Qi with a mocking expression.

"Eating so much, if someone didn't know better, they'd think you were the Reincarnation of a rice bucket."

"Exactly, having blank attributes just doesn't work. The conversion rate is too low; eating any more is just a waste of food," a lackey beside him chimed in.

Lin Qi didn't even look up. With two steamed buns stuffed in his mouth, he mumbled a reply: "Move aside, you're blocking the light."

Wang Gang's expression stiffened.

"Go ahead and eat, choke yourself to death."

He snorted coldly and walked away with his people.

Lin Qi had no time to pay attention to such low-level provocation.

As a large amount of carbohydrates and meat entered his stomach, that burning hunger was finally relieved.

A warm current spread from his stomach, nourishing his newly formed skin.

After finishing the last of the noodle soup, Lin Qi burped.

That felt good.

He got up and headed to the Special Training Class classroom.

Walking on the road, Lin Qi felt that the world had become a bit different.

The rustling of leaves dozens of meters away, the thumping of basketballs hitting the ground on the playground, and even the gossiping whispers of the girls in the next class all clearly drilled into his ears.

His vision had also become sharper, able to see the patterns on the wings of flying insects.

This was the sensory enhancement brought by Body Refining.

He walked into the large classroom of the Special Training Class.

Instructor Su Qing was wearing a black, tight-fitting combat suit, standing in front of the podium adjusting a piece of precision equipment.

Seeing Lin Qi enter, her gaze lingered on him for two seconds.

That look was very sharp, as if she were examining a suspicious object.

Lin Qi kept a calm expression and walked to his seat in the corner.

"Today we are testing physical data."

Instructor Su Qing patted the instrument in her hand. "Everyone, come over and collect your wristbands."

The students lined up to step forward.

This type of heart rate monitoring wristband was military-grade and could monitor various physiological indicators in real time.

Lin Qi received one and fastened it to his wrist.

The screen lit up.

[Heart Rate: 40 bpm]

Zhao Tie, who was next to him, leaned over to take a look, his eyes nearly popping out.

"Holy crap, Lin Qi, are you okay?"

Zhao Tie's loud voice immediately attracted the attention of those around them.

"What's wrong?"

"Look at his heart rate! It's only 40!" Zhao Tie pointed at Lin Qi's wristband. "A normal person's heart rate while walking is like 80, right? This is practically stopping!"

Li Shaobai, sitting in the front row, turned back and sneered: "Maybe he's scared, or the wristband is broken."

"Is it insufficient blood supply to the heart?"

"Quick, call the school doctor, don't let him die in the classroom."

There was a buzz of discussion all around.

Instructor Su Qing walked over with a frown.

She grabbed Lin Qi's wrist, glanced at the data on the screen, and then placed her fingers on his pulse.

The beat was powerful, steady as a bell.

This kind of heart rate was only found in top-tier divers who had undergone long-term deep-sea training, or high-level Martial Artists with extremely powerful hearts.

But this kid was clearly a blank slate.

"The wristband isn't broken."

Instructor Su Qing let go of his hand and took a deep look at Lin Qi. "His heart... is very special."

Lin Qi pulled his sleeve to cover the wristband: "It's innate, energy-saving mode."

Instructor Su Qing didn't respond to this lame joke.

"Everyone, return to your positions. Class is starting."

She pointed to a row of huge inflatable balance balls placed in the center of the classroom.

"Today's topic is body control. Stand on the ball, stay on one leg, and hold it for ten minutes."

This sounded simple, but doing it was as hard as ascending to heaven.

The balance ball itself was soft and would roll around. Standing on it with one leg required extremely high core strength.

The students scrambled onto the balls one after another.

"Ouch!"

"What the—!"

In less than ten seconds, a large group had fallen off.

Even Li Shaobai, who had high agility attributes, was wobbling, forced to spread his arms to maintain balance.

Only Lin Qi in the corner.

He stood on top of the ball on one leg, his hands in his pockets, his whole body motionless.

The ball under his feet seemed to be nailed to the ground, not even wobbling once.

This kind of stability simply defied common physical sense.

Li Shaobai looked at Lin Qi's relaxed appearance and felt very annoyed.

He gave a wink to the lackey next to him.

The lackey understood, pretended to fall, and "accidentally" kicked a pebble toward Lin Qi's balance ball.

The pebble was fast, heading straight for the bottom of the ball.

As long as it hit the ball, the vibration would be enough to break his balance.

Lin Qi didn't even lift an eyelid.

Just at the moment the pebble was about to hit, his ankle twitched ever so slightly.

The balance ball rotated half a turn following his force.

The pebble slid past the surface of the ball without causing any impact.

And Lin Qi was still standing steadily on top of the ball, without even changing his posture.

"This..."

Li Shaobai clenched his fists.

Instructor Su Qing stood on the podium, taking it all in.

She looked at the boy standing with his hands in his pockets, her suspicion growing even deeper.

This kind of lower-body technique, this kind of precise control over muscles, could not be explained by data at all.

Even an agility-based professional could not achieve this level of "man and ball as one."

"Lin Qi."

Instructor Su Qing suddenly spoke.

Lin Qi turned his head: "Instructor?"

"In the afternoon combat class, you will be the sparring partner."

Instructor Su Qing's mouth twitched, revealing a meaningful expression. "Since your sense of balance is so good, your ability to withstand hits should also be pretty good, right?"

Lin Qi shrugged: "It's alright, thick-skinned."

Instructor Su Qing didn't say anything more, just drew a heavy circle behind Lin Qi's name in her notebook.

This kid definitely had secrets.

This afternoon, I'll peel them open and see.